Four-captain theory 'worth a try' - Gayle

The radical four-captain theory proposed by John Buchanan, the coach of the Kolkata Knight Riders, has the backing of one of its star players, Chris Gayle, who said the theory is worth trying out.

"The Knight Riders have been in the news lately for the four-captain theory. We have been with our coach who explained to us on how to go about these things," Gayle wrote in his column for the Times of India. "It's worth a try and something new to everyone."

Current cricketers and former players like Sunil Gavaskar have been sceptical of the concept since it was announced by Buchanan at a press conference in Kolkata last month in the presence of Sourav Ganguly, who led the team last year. Ganguly later said he was not fully convinced about the idea and his team-mate Ishant Sharma also expressed doubts over the concept. Buchanan said his theory had been misunderstood by many people and clarified that he will "not select a squad captain but will select a captain for each match."

Gayle was unable to play the IPL last year as he was sidelined with a groin injury but managed to spend time with the squad. In this edition, he will be available only for the first few weeks before heading to England to play a Test series.

"Last year, though I did not play a game, the week I spent with the group was brilliant. This time I am spending a bit more time with them, it's tremendous," he wrote.

"Hopefully we can build on the good spirit and make a good start this time around and take it from there. It was very disappointing last season watching from the sidelines. I did not want to brood too much last time on missing out because it was just a matter of time."

He also concurred with Shane Warne's view that the ICC needs to find a window for the IPL in the international calendar to allow international players like himself to commit to the entire tournament.